Film Conventions

Sound/Titles - the films in the genre all contained quite contemporary and/or rock songs in the background. Rock 'n' Rolla had a rock song in the background, as did Lock, Stock. This is likely done to translate the fast paced life that many of the characters lead. The music is loud, brash and very quick, and makes the audience think the film itself could be the same. In Snatch, there is no singing, the background music is fast paced and is quite sneaky. It shows the deviousness of the hustle and cons the characters pull off. The production company comes first in all of the films and is followed by the main actors. Make-up artist, costume designer and then the music editor comes.

Camera Angles - nearly all of the films show a close-up of the main character, usually in the middle of an action shot. However, in Football Factory there is no close-up as the scenes of actual film are of a fight between rival gangs, usually of a large scale. This instantly tells the audience what the film will contain. In Trainspotting the film shows a close-up of both the main character and the police, and also shows the chase from the perception of both people, to give the audience the feeling that they are actually there. Long shots and panning shots are very uncommon, especially when showing a character in the film, they are sometimes used, such as in This is England, to show the area that the film is set in, which is usually in council estate to portray that the characters may be uneducated and involved in gang-life in a relatively poor area.

Mise-en-Scene - the films were all set in poor areas, such as council estates, i.e large blocks of flats. They usually had gangs of teenagers scattered around, and a recurring theme was that the teens had dogs with them. The people wore very informal clothes, such as jogging bottoms and branded coats, such as Nike or Adidas. The characters usually had a prop or something to draw attention to them, and in the case of Rock 'n' Rolla, that prop was a bung, showing the usual convention of substance abuse. Colour was faded and dull, such as in This is England where the use of blacks, whites, greys and browns were commonly brought about.

Mise-en-scene showing the rough area

poor estate the character lives in

emphasising his thug like background.

Actors Movements - the main actors in the films were all very assured, they knew full well what to do when, in films such as Snatch and Lock, Stock, hustle's were being done. Movements were taken in a violent nature, such as the intro to Snatch where a character was shown punching a punch bag. The way the characters talk is very assured and very strong, and their posture is always straight. Other people always listen to him and the level of their talk, and their volume is always lower than the main character.